Electron flow, hole flow, and paint

64 f100 · Post by **64 f100** » December 6, 2011, 10:25 am

I know that many industrial applications of painting are using electricity f=to help make the bond better, and help paint from being wasted, presumably. So I have a question for those that know, about the process or application. Is it possible to make this work with with a small DC voltage source? Just how small a source could a person use. I believe the positive would go to your paint gun and the negative to the part being painted. At least, in my mind the best bond would be electron flow to the hole . I have two HVLP spray guns and others also, and believe a person could use the lowest pressure settings by going this route. Maybe, I am oversimplifying the idea, and there are things I am missing. Quite possibly I would have to be insulated from the spray gun, and most likely would have to use a rubber hose for the air as opposed to some othertype hose that may conduct electricity. Even some rubber products will conduct, perhaps not enough to bother worrying about. Just wondering if anyone has tried any of the ideas I'm toying with?
Food for thought,
Rich

Tech · Post by **Tech** » December 6, 2011, 11:39 am

I think that either the paint needs to be conductive or the charge is in the static electricity range 20kv +
best guess
Tech

grump · Post by **grump** » December 6, 2011, 6:56 pm

When I first started painting appliances at work back in the early 70's we used a electrastatic paint system. If I remember right the gun had a positive charge and the part was a negative charge. We used a special gun for this process. I'm not sure how you would make a regular gun work. At times you could get a pretty good shock.

Bill W · Post by **Bill W** » December 6, 2011, 10:49 pm

won't work without the correct spray gun. it's the positive electric charge that makes the paint atomize, not air pressure

64 f100 · Post by **64 f100** » December 7, 2011, 10:05 am

Interesting comments, especially about the special gun and atomization. To get a shock from the gun, one of several things are going on. You either have to be in direct contact with the gun and object being painted, or the object being painted has to be grounded and you have to also, plus direct contact with gun, and you hae to have a fairly good size source of DC electricity. Do any of you know of a good source for information on how the gun actually is suposed to work? How aobut the power source, any information on that? I haven't googled this information as of yet hoping for a simple explanation of how it could be made to work, from people who know.

Rich